Lionel Messi has ended his career with the Argentina national team

Forward Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national football team.

The player wrote about this on his Instagram page

The last match for the 39-year-old Messi with the national team was the lost 2026 World Cup final against Spain (0:1 a.e.t.), held on July 19. Lionel has 207 caps and 125 goals for the national team (all-time top scorer), with which he became world champion in 2022.

"After the final, I thought a lot about this and I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the national team…

This was a decision that hurt and still hurts my soul, but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you, I always gave everything, not only in recent years when we won everything, but also before. I always fought and gave my all for this shirt, to bring you joy and to make you proud to be Argentine, through football.

There is very little left, stages are gradually coming to an end, and this is one of those stages that causes me great pain. I love, loved, and will always love playing for the national team. I gave everything I had, I have nothing more to give. Besides, there are very talented young players coming after me who deserve their place.

Thank you for all the love you gave me over these 20 years. I will miss so much hearing your support from inside. Now I will be one of you — always cheering and supporting the national team from the sidelines (in good times and in bad times — especially then).

Thank you to my family for always being there, for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, every teammate, and every official I had the chance to work with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments that I experienced together with you.

I leave with peace in my soul and pride that together with my teammates I gave you moments that one could only dream of. It was madness to live through all of this together with you. I love you!

Thank you God for making me Argentine. Let's go, Argentina!

I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my father, I am even more certain of this than before," the post reads